Orr Shalom Reut Home Celebrates Triple Bar Mitzvah

A Bar Mitzvah is an important rite of passage in the life of any Jewish boy. But for the boys of Orr Shalom's Reut residential intensive care home, it takes on a monumental significance. The Re'ut home is a residential intensive treatment center for boys, aged 7 – 14, who suffer from severe emotional and behavioral disturbances as a result of core damage and neglect at the earliest stages of life. Once a year, a number of Reut boys celebrate their bar mitzvah, in an event which becomes a celebration of Reut's work and all of the children who live there.

In the run-up to the Bar Mitzvah, the three boys (Adi, Reuven, and Sammy*) did a project tracing their roots and identity. Guided by the counselors at the home, they put together a memory book to help them understand their family origins and their place in Israeli society and the world at large. They also participated in 'Project Giving', whereby they organized activities for the other boys in the home. Adi and Reuven learnt to prepare a special meal; while Sammy organized a Mizrahi music and karaoke evening. 

The three boys were call up to the Torah at a local synagogue, and then a celebration was held at the Reut home. A marquee was erected on the site and beautifully decorated with flowers balloons and pictures of the men of the moment. Adi, Reuven and Sammy sat on the top table, surrounded by their families and friends and the staff from the home. The event began with the candle-lighting ceremony, where important figures in the boys' lives stepped forward and spoke a few words before lighting a candle in their honor.

Roni Siboni, the home's director, stressed the incredible progress the three of them had made since they came to live in Re'ut. They are active and popular in the home, and take part in a number of activities, including capoeira, table-tennis, and football. With time, they have begun more open and have learnt to articulate their feelings without lashing out. Then, in a particularly poignant moment, the family members blessed the children.

The children gave short speeches, emphasizing that this was just the beginning, that the Bar Mitzvah was a launching-pad for them to build positive lives as teenagers. And, so as to ensure that everyone at Reut took part in the celebration, the younger children put on sketches about life in the home, and the drummers' workshop displayed its prowess. Finally, there was a festive meal and dancing, the look on the boys' faces clear evidence of the import of this event and the staggering work that Reut does.
 

*Name has been changed

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